From Snake Oil to Penicillin: Evaluating Consumer Health Information on the Internet*
For more information or to schedule this course, contact: Ashley Cuffia, acuffia@hshsl.umaryland.edu.
This online course covers the importance of evaluating health information on the Internet. Participants will learn how to evaluate using the following criteria: accuracy, authority, bias, currency and coverage.
This interactive course will introduce participants to issues surrounding the quality of health information resources on the internet. Participants will be provided with a set of recommended criteria to be used to evaluate health information websites.
Objectives:
- Become familiar with unique issues surrounding health information on the internet.
- Understand the nature of web-based resources and why people post information to the internet.
- Evaluate health information web sites using a set of criteria provided so that you can determine whether or not the sites are trustworthy sources of health information.
Site URL: https://nnlm.gov/classes/snake-oil-penicillin-evaluating-consumer-health-information-internet
Agenda
- Introduction - health information seeking behaviors
- Types of websites and what makes health information unique
- Five criteria for website evaluation
- Examples of good and bad health websites
- Exercises to practice evaluation
MLA CE Credits: 3